Understandings of well-being: Implications for public policy Joanne Wilson & Lindsay Prior School of Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work, Queen’s University Belfast or QUB-Stormont exchange seminar Series, 5 th July 2012

Overview  Context  What is well-being? The individual versus the common good  Reporting well-being: Facts and figures  Well-being in policy  A well-being framework: Future directions

Context: Well-being requires work

Context: From antiquity and beyond ‘Somewhere between Plato and Prozac, happiness stopped being a lofty achievement and became an entitlement’ (Schoch, 2007, p.1)

Context: A quick fix?

Context: Life satisfaction and GDP

Context: The call for subjective indicators Report by the CMEPSP National accounts of well-being Well-being matters

Context: Gross national happiness ‘The essence of the philosophy of Gross National Happiness is the peace and happiness of our people and the security and sovereignty of the nation’

What is well-being? Medicine = positive state of health; defined in terms of physical functioning Economics = position of wealth; defined in terms of GDP, preference realisation, utility Psychology = positive state of being; defined in terms of cognitions, affectivity

What is well-being? 1)A state: a person’s current state of being e.g. healthy, happy 2)A process: an evaluation of either being well or being ill 3)An outcome: a product of how we feel at a given point in time

What is well-being? Figure 2: Conceptual map of well-being

The individual good Hedonic perspectives:  Bentham  Utilitarian  Greatest happiness and life satisfaction for majority Eudaimonic perspectives:  Aristotle  Flourishing  Purpose and meaning

The individual good ‘… what is true for the individual is not true for the society as a whole’ (Easterlin, 1973)

The common good Well-being can not be understood by reference to individuals alone Considers those processes and structures which impact on the common good and measured using indices of inequality, environmental degradation Capabilities approach: - role of public institutions - importance of rights and values

What is well-being? ‘Well-being is a positive physical, social and mental state. It requires that basic needs are met, that individuals have a sense of purpose, that they feel able to live the lives they value and have reason to value’ (NESC, 2009)

Reporting well-being: Facts and figures Demographics Total population: million Population change since 1995: 139,800 (7.8%) 2009/10 lone parents increased from 11% to 28% Fiscal circumstances Total working age population: million (61.1%) 801,000 in employment; 6.7% unemployed In 2011, both GVA in NI and UK annual GDP 0.8%

Reporting well-being: Facts and figures

Relationships  Marriages increased 5.1% since 1995  Divorces increased 11.5% since 1995 Health  Life expectancy males (76.4) and females (81.3)  289 suicides in 2011  18.3% increase in drug and alcohol related deaths ( )

Reporting well-being: Facts and figures Environment: 76% households concerned Internet  67% households own a house and a computer  Broadband access highest in the least deprived areas Trust  62% NICS 2010/11 believe crime increased  Greater fear of crime than England and Wales

Reporting well-being: Facts and figures Northern Ireland  Life satisfaction 7.6/10  Worthwhile 7.8/10  Happy yesterday 7.5/10  Anxious yesterday 3.2/10 Source: Annual population survey (APS) – ONS

Well-being in policy Individual good  Insight as to how people feel their lives are going  Avoids paternalism  What individuals want and need to improve their well-being ‘faulty perceptions’

Well-being in policy Individual bad  Promotes individual good at expense of common good  Ignores structures and processes  Measurement issues (mood, timing, question order & wording)

Well-being in policy Common good  Shows that there are common goods to be shared  Emphasises structures and processes  Emphasises interdependence between individual agency and social structures

Well-being in policy Common bad  Some conceptualisations still individualistic  Ideological, difficult to define, measure and monitor  Need to consider the unit of the common good which impacts differentially on individuals

Institutions A well-being framework: Future directions Intrapersonal Interpersonal NESC (2009). Well-being matters. A social report for Ireland

A well-being framework: Future directions

Individual good: 1.Adequate income 2.Meaningful activity 3.‘Nudge’ – choice architecture 4.Work-life balance 5.Affordable facilities for recreation 6.Support for independent living

A well-being framework: Future directions Common good: 1.Sustainable development 2.Equal distribution of income 3.Participation rate 4.Viable education system 5.Affordable health care system 6.Occupancy rates 7.Cooperative economy 8.Trade unions

Thank you Questions?